Chapter Two: Agravaine has a plan
Now that Arthur was regent, his food had to be tasted. It was a particular protocol according to which, as Arthur's manservant, Merlin was now responsible for the tasting. It was a tedious process which had to be done under strict supervision and, though the idea had seemed enjoyable at first, Merlin had come to hate it more than any other duties. His loathing for the new protocol had nothing to do with the fact that the rules required him to put his life at risk on a regular basis, three times a day. There had also been, to Merlin's great discouragement, no possibility for food-related humor in Arthur's plate. The terrible truth was, in fact, that Sir Leon was overseeing the tasting, which meant that Merlin would never get to play any kind of prank on the Heir to the Throne. Ever. There was just no getting around Sir Leon, especially as far as Arthur's security was concerned.
"What on Earth took you so long?" said the knight, glaring at him, as soon as he crossed the threshold.
Merlin could only mumble a feeble "sorry" as he began his tasting routine. At least, he had managed to get to the kitchen washed and on time, which was more than he's been able to do in the last few weeks.
On top of Sir Leon's glare, the amount of food on the long wooden table was making him uncomfortable. The few servants still working in the kitchen were eyeing the small banquet with relish. Most of them were about to go home to a small loaf of bread and a piece of cheese. Vegetables, fruits and meat were only purchased if a little money could be spared; such was the challenge of living in the city. The harvest had not been particularly fruitful this year and food, though available for everyone, was a highly valuable good, even for the kingdom's rulers. Merlin suddenly missed the opened fields of Ealdor, picking berries in the summer and cooking freshly caught fish on a wood fire.
"Do they really need that much? I thought it was going to be only Arthur and Agravaine," said Merlin while taking a bite off a loaf of bread and then moving on to taste the wine.
The look of disapproval on Sir Leon's face was barely noticeable, merely a passing thing, and Merlin pretended not to see it. It might have been a trivial reaction; however, Merlin had seen that look many times before since Agrainve's arrival. First, there had been the chambers to redecorate, the furniture to change, the daily training schedule to be rearranged and the servants to be reassigned. Nothing could escape Arthur's uncle's notice, not even the closeness between the prince and Gwen who was looking after the king as her only duty; but Gwen was so humble and discreet in her demeanor that Agravaine had been unable to do anything to remove her from her position in the royal household. There had even been a mention of finding a new manservant for the regent, or even several new servants, but Arthur had rapidly and strongly spoken against such a change and Merlin had heard no more of it. It was not uncommon now, at the end of the day, to hear Arthur grumble and complain about his uncle's attitude, but Merlin knew the prince well enough and he could only grin at the thought of that moment when Arthur would put Agravaine back in his place.
"Lord Agravaine's demands are in accordance to his status as the king's brother-in-law and Arthur's uncle." Leon 's tone was formal. "It would be wise for you to remember your place in his presence."
"Why?" Merlin asked absent-mindedly as he took a bite off an apple.
"Because he has the authority to make you spend a few days in the stocks. Hey! You're supposed to cut yourself a piece, not bite off it!" burst out Leon , outraged. "Start again!"
He snatched the apple from his hand rather sharply, which slightly startled Merlin, and it also brought to light something that he had not noticed on Leon's right hand and wrist. Under a crude and dirty rag, there was the trace of fresh red blood.
"What is that, Leon? You should have that looked at," said Merlin with a bit of concern.
The knight rapidly withdrew his hand as if to put it out of sight. He was looking away and avoiding Merlin's eyes. The young men could hardly believe it; was Leon actually trying to hide something?
"What happened?" said Merlin, stepping closer so that the few servants bustling around the kitchen would not hear.
"We had a bit of a brawl."
"We?"
The knight fell silent for a moment, and then quite suddenly he pulled Merlin into a darker corner of the kitchen. When he spoke, his voice was tense.
"I know," he said into Merlin's ear.
Don't panic; or don't appear panicked, thought the young warlock instantly.
"What exactly?"
"There's a rumor saying that there's a sorcerer in Camelot, a sorcerer who defeated the Immortal Army."
Merlin could almost hear his heart pounding. Could Sir Leon really know? How could that be possible?
"I know it’s Gaius."
Merlin's mind took a few seconds to register the information, and then he shook his head feverishly. "No, it was Lancelot!" he almost shouted. "Gaius had nothing to do..."
Leon glanced around to make sure they were not being overheard.
"It was Gaius," he said categorically. "I know that he has magic and you must know about it too. He was a powerful healer before the purges, and such power doesn't just disappear overnight. But Gwaine was so drunk... He kept going on and on about a sorcerer in Camelot and I had to punch him to make him shut up."
"Hence the brawl," Merlin said thoughtfully.
Leon nodded. "The rumor is spreading. If Morgana is anywhere near Camelot, she will know about it."
Merlin allowed the thought to sink in. There was no doubt that revenge was on Morgana's list of things to do. Yet Morgana had not seen Gaius knock Morgause into the wall, nor had she seen Merlin empty the Cup of Life. She would be only chasing a rumor. But Morgause might have recovered, and if it was the case, then Gaius was undoubtedly in danger.
"I will warn Gaius," Merlin said quietly.
Leon abruptly caught hold of his arm. "You must do more than that. You must tell Arthur. Uther can no longer protect Gaius. If Agravaine finds out, he will have him killed without a second thought. We must trust to Arthur to make the right decision when the time comes. And Arthur trusts you. It falls on your shoulders to protect Gaius from now on. Can you do that, Merlin?"
Merlin suddenly felt a great bubble of pride build up inside his chest. It was too much to ask for. To think that Sir Leon, a man of honor, a man to be respected, would actually protect someone like him; it was as if all of his daydreams about revealing his magic had come true. Moreover, it showed a loyalty to Gaius that was very touching.
Quite at a lost for words, he nodded to Leon and then he made his way back towards the long table where he started to prepare his tray of bread, butter and two goblets of wine. He took another bite off the dismissed apple but it was only to hide his large grin. Sir Leon was eyeing him in silence, but he seemed quite at peace with the task he had just imposed on the servant.
Merlin picked up the tray unceremoniously. "You should get Gaius to take a look at that cut," he said, still smiling, as he paused by the kitchen door.
Sir Leon nodded, and then Merlin was off.
It took him a few minutes to register the importance of what Sir Leon had told him. He didn't like the fact that Gaius was stepping into his place to be the target of Morgana's revenge; it was bad enough that Lancelot had taken the credit for destroying the Immortal Army. Yet the three words seemed more important than the rest: Arthur trusts you.
He was still beaming when he walked into the chamber where the table had been set for Arthur and Agravaine. Both the prince and the uncle were caught up in a deep conversation and the servant’s arrival was barely noticed. The light was dim so Merlin set out to add another brass chandelier to the table. Arthur was still wearing the red shirt Merlin had picked for him after the day's training, but Agravaine was wearing yet another tunic, blue this time and with gold thread. He was changing outfits so often during the course of one day that Merlin was feeling sorry for his poor servants.
It wasn't until he heard the topic of their talk that Merlin accidentally spilled Arthur's goblet of wine. The glare was instantaneous, but the servant was too focused on hearing the conversation to care.
"Magic is born of the Four Elements: Earth, Fire, Water and Air," Agravaine was saying as though he was talking about the weather. "The dragons were the ones who could yield such powers first, and then they decided to share their knowledge with men. Even today, dragon magic is regarded as the oldest and most potent. It's not a coincidence that your father sought to destroy the dragons and their dragonlords during the purges."
Merlin could not believe the casual tone with which Agravaine was relating the events. The mention of dragonlords was enough to put him on his guard.
“The dragons were threatening to destroy Camelot," argued Arthur. "The city was full of innocent people."
“Yes and the dragons were probably doing so under the influence of the dragonlords. Trust me; the world is better off without them.”
It took Merlin a considerable effort not to jump at Lord Agravaine’s throat. He used a fallen knife as an excuse to bend under the table and steady himself. When he got up, his glance met Arthur’s and for a moment it was as if they were both of them alone near those caves again, gazing in silence at the burning body of Balinor.
“I only knew one dragonlord and he was a good man,” said the prince while staring intently at the candlelight.
Agravaine was buttering his bread with a thoughtful expression.
“Sometimes one good individual must be sacrificed for the greater good,” he replied.
“That’s not good enough,” said Arthur under his breath.
Agravaine did not seem bothered by the comment. “You have yet to make these kinds of decisions.”
“I have been tested more than you know,” the prince said between clenched teeth and Merlin had to admire his countenance.
Agravaine leaned forward on the table. “Really,” he sneered, “so tell me, Arthur, what do you intend to do with Morgana when you find her? Will you kill her? Will you lock her away in the dungeons forever? Or will you do what is required to put an end to this madness?”
Merlin tried his best to remain silent and straight against the wall so that he wouldn’t be asked to leave the chambers. This was definitely something that he wanted to hear. In fact, he had been asking himself the same question. In his heart, he knew that he could not kill Morgana, not in cold blood. Yet what other options did he have?
“How would you do it?” said Arthur, mirroring Merlin's thoughts. The servant could detect the uneasiness in the prince's voice.
Agravaine’s face became grave. He leaned even closer to Arthur. “How does one end magic?” he said quite elusively.
Arthur looked slightly taken aback. “Can it be done?” he said in a low voice.
There was a short moment of silence during which Agravaine took such a mysterious air that Merlin was certain that he would not be allowed to be present anymore. But when Arthur started to look like he was loosing patience, his uncle threw his hands up, jumped unto his feet and began to walk around the table.
“I searched high and low for this and now I’m close, so close,” said Agravaine quite suddenly.
“What are you talking about?”
“The Four Elemental Stones,” answered Agravaine. "Four stones, one for each element, the four corners of a square, set on the ground where they cannot be moved. If you can find the stones and spill the blood of a creature of magic in the middle then magic will cease to exist."
Merlin only wanted to run. He wanted to run to Gaius to ask him if he knew about this. He wanted to run to Kilgharrah to scold the Great Dragon for not telling him. Yet he had to keep his attention on Arthur. He had to stand behind him so that he could guide him, if need be.
The prince was stroking his forehead.
"You think those stones are here?" he asked incredulously.
Agravaine looked almost out of his mind. He took a few long strides towards Arthur, leaning one hand on the table so as to speak close to the prince's ear.
"Not here in Camelot, but close. Your father's allies were close to finding them, back during the purges, but at some point the trace went cold and they stopped their search altogether. This I know because it was my father's wishes to see the end of all magic, but everything changed when Ygraine died and you were born. My father loved her very much. Her death nearly destroyed him." Agravaine's voice was strained. "Ygraine was different. Her mother was of noble blood, ours was not."
Arthur looked as though he had been startled out of a dream. "Ours?"
Agravaine's eyes were far off, as though his mind was back into that other period of his life. "You wouldn't know my sister," he said softly. "She didn't like the kind of life that Ygraine had. She was a free spirit. I don't even know what became of her."
Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. "She still lives?"
"Who knows? She disappeared when Ygraine died. Her clothes were found by the river. Some thought that she threw herself in."
"You don't think so?" Arthur asked uneasily.
Agravaine shook his head. "She was far too smart for that," he concluded.
And then, he brushed away the memory as though it was something unimportant. "It was my father's dream to find the Four Elemental Stones. I shall see it done. Why not do it together? With my knowledge and your resources, it can happen."
Agravaine's face had lit up during his speech, highlighting the circles under his eyes, the wrinkled skin, a pale scar on his right cheek and white strands of hair on his head. He looked older now in the dancing shadows of the candlelight then he did during the early morning training. He was sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting for Arthur to pass judgment, looking both apprehensive and overexcited.
"What happens to all of those people? What happens when magic ends?"
Agravaine did not even hesitate. "They die."
Arthur pushed his chair back so forcefully that the whole table shook and the candles almost fell over. Merlin immediately rushed forward to prevent the small banquet from catching fire. He kept glancing from Arthur to Agravaine in shock.
"I do not accept that," Arthur said unequivocally.
Agravaine's face had turned red.
"Some things have to be done. It is for the greater good, Arthur. What would your father do?"
But Arthur had already jumped to his feet and he was walking fast towards the doors. Merlin felt it his duty to follow him.
"Your father wants this, Arthur. It is your destiny."
Arthur stopped short, his hand barely on the door handle. Merlin tried to get a look at his face, but the prince kept his eyes turned away.
"What do you know about my destiny? I am not my father."
Merlin had to stop to shut the door behind Arthur. When he turned around, the prince was already walking speedily back towards his chambers. The servant had to jog to join him.
"He was way out of line," he said while trying to keep up with Arthur's pace.
"Be quiet," said Arthur between gritted teeth.
They hurried in silence pass several guards and servants. As soon as Merlin had bolted the door inside Arthur's chambers, the prince picked up a piece of his armor that was lying on the table and threw it against the wall. Merlin was even surprised not to have it hurtled at his head. He had not seen the price this angry for a long time.
"How could I be so stupid?" he screamed on top of his lungs. "I gave him too much freedom."
It was painful to watch Arthur struggle with such hard realities. The prince kept pacing around the chambers, stroking his head with a nervous hand, leaning heavily on the table, and then pacing again.
He just had to try something. "You're the regent. If you order him not to search..."
"Don't be so naive, Merlin," Arthur cut him off. "He's already searching."
Merlin was slightly taken aback. "You knew?"
Arthur walked back to his desk and slumped warily on the chair. "Of course I knew. I asked Gwaine to keep an eye on him. I just didn't know what he was looking for until tonight."
"All of those people..." Merlin barely breathed out. He wasn't even thinking about himself. All of his thoughts were for Gaius, Alice, Gilli, all of the druids, all of the creatures of magic... even Kilgharrah...
"I won't allow it," Arthur said resolutely, "but I need time to think."
Merlin allowed himself to stare at him for a while. There was something almost like a ritual about his need to think in such situation. When had Arthur grown so much into a future ruler? Why was he only seeing it now?
"Stop staring at me like an idiot and get me some water to wash, will you?" Arthur said quite suddenly.
As he went to bed later in the evening, Merlin couldn't help but think back about the Round Table and at how proud he had felt then. What he had glimpsed at then seemed about to come true, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not see himself in that picture. Doubt crept into his mind and that night he dreamt of an empty seat next to Arthur, and of the Round Table, covered in dust and broken.